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Texting while driving isn't illegal in Texas

Remember when a driver in Texas admitted that his texting caused an accident that killed 13 people? That wasn't illegal.
Nope, in the state of Texas, there is currently nothing wrong with driving while not looking at the road. While 46 states have laws prohibiting the practice, Texas does not. Legislators in the Lone Star State passed a bill in 2011 that would have outlawed texting behind the wheel, but Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed it.
Since then, we know of at least 13 people who have been killed by perfectly legal texing drivers. After the March crash that killed 13 members of the First Baptist Church of New Braunfels, Gov. Abbott and his wife Cecilia released a statement that said, in part,
“We are saddened by the loss of life and our hearts go out to all those affected. We thank the first responders working on the scene in the wake of this unimaginable tragedy, and ask that all Texans join us in offering their thoughts and prayers.”
One thing that works even better than thoughts and prayers for preventing texting-while-driving deaths is a texting-while-driving ban. Now, Texas is giving it another shot, and another bill is headed to Gov. Abbott's desk. If he doesn't veto it, it will automatically become law.
If you live in Texas and have an opinion on this bill, Gov. Abbott's contact information can be found here.
Comments
Great Distracted Driving News Story From Local TV Station in SC
I'd like to share this great news story about distracted driving from our local TV station here in North Charleston, SC - Live 5 News. Even though South Carolina’s texting and driving law was passed in June 2014, it's still far from ideal. Reporter Carter Coyle collected great data and put an amazing story together. It may serve as good reference to this current legal scenario in Texas. The story can be found at http://www.live5news.com/story/35356540/texting-tickets-is-sc-law-strict-enough. We also have some useful information about distracted driving on our website, and in case anybody wants to check it out for additional research, it can be found here.
texting and driving
Don't Believe the Click Bait
Got to call BS. I live in Texas and ANY DISTRACTED DRIVING IS ILLIEGAL. Does not matter if you are looking at your cell phone or changing the radio, you can get as little as a ticket to jail (especially if you kill somebody)
Thanks for your comment Art
Thanks for your comment Art. After this article was written, the Texas governor signed a new law banning texting while driving, which goes into effect September 1. Read more here...
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